Why do we collect.

[JonP]

Reading this forum from people of like interests from around the globe leads me to asking why. Why do you out there like to own and appreciate these hunks of metal designed for killing, what is the facination.

For me a lifetime of involvement in the martial arts, bushido & Japans history gave me my begining.

Then to see how skilled and detailed a craftsman had to be to forge the raw materials into a razor sharp blade with the incredible patterns of the hamon etc drew me deeper.

But the real thing for me is the history of each blade; whos hands wielded this, where, what was the outcome. What type of life was led by the past owners & how did it end up in my hands so many years later.

All probably unansweable questions but never the less thats what makes these things so desirable.

I'd rather own a well made sword that I knew was used in battle by a warrior than a masterpiece that has spent its years on a stand being admired for its workmanship.

Anyway thats just my reasoning, whats yours

[Bungo]

" whats yours "

 

Some do it for love

some for monetary gain

Truth will set you free

 

 

milt the ronin

[w.y.chan]

Most best swords made during the warring ages were owned by lords and Daimyos and very rarely if ever saw battle. Practical swords arent usually well made in an artitistic sense and are mass produced.

[JonP]

Interesting thought on the best swords being owned by the lords etc. Though during the warring eras where war lord fought war lord I imagine most of the samurai class would want a good blade as their life depended on it. Though the Ashigaru (foot soldiers) probably weren't armed with great pieces. The ashigaru were foot soldiers—the cavalry was the territory of the samurai. They might have been armed with katana or just with spears (yari).

The samurai used various weapons, but the katana is the weapon that is synonymous with samurai. Bushido teaches that the katana is the samurai's soul and sometimes a samurai is pictured as entirely dependent on the katana for fighting. They believe that the katana was so precious that they often gave them names and considered them as part of the living.

Upon reaching the age of thirteen, in a ceremony called Gembuku , a male child was given his first real swords and armour, an adult name, and became a samurai. {thanks Wikipedia}

Hey I 'd be proud to know my swords were once worn by one of these warriors.

Jon

[waynes]

I collect( well I just bought my first nihonto but I have studied them for some time now)for the same reason as you Jon. I'm just fascinated by the craftsmanship and history. I recall reading that at the age of 7 the boys father would generaly give him a wakizashi without a tsuba.

[Ichi]

samurai used various weapons, but the katana is the weapon that is synonymous with samurai. Bushido teaches that the katana is the samurai's soul and sometimes a samurai is pictured as entirely dependent on the katana for fighting. They believe that the katana was so precious that they often gave them names and considered them as part of the living...

 

 

There was this TV program on NHK (BBC Japanese version) that 80% of battle casualty were inflicted from yari, bows & arrows, and later part of Sengoku period guns.

[JonP]

It must have taken great courage and strength to stand and fight hand to hand, certainly more effective to shoot someone from a distance.

The battles in the trenches during the 1st WWar saw much fighting with whatever came to hand as a weapon, must be terribly hard if you aren't used to one on one combat.

 

Jon

[John A Stuart]

Hi Jon, Your last post struck a note with me. I believe the hardest thing at French/Belgian front, in the trenches, to deal with, would be the waiting to be whistled forward through the barbed wire, across no mans land, against machine gun fire and artillery fire before actually reaching the hand to hand, no quarter trench fighting. I would welcome the hand to hand bit where your strength, will to survive, skill and most importantly luck came to the fore and the frenzy of combat washed away fear. It is this face to face conflict I admire rather the than the death from afar of the rifle/gun or arrow, a duel rather than the berserk melee. Massed chaos is not for me. John

[JonP]

Hi John

that surely was a terrible time, an aunt of mine showed me a letter a year or 2 back from a relation of ours. He wrote it to his mum just before one of those times when they went over the top, and there was another letter from a friend of his saying how he was just gone after they climbed up and attacked. Probably gone by a bomb as they never recovered him. Very moving to read these and really puts a personal feel to it.

Hey it must be cold where you are and dark I suppose, its finely getting nice here, thank goodness. This is what it is like here today from my place.

Stay warm.

Regards Jon

[johnb]

I read an article sometime ago by Desmon Morris about collecting. Interestingly it's predominantly men that collect. His theory is that collecting is a modern day replacement for hunting. Instead of tracking down the odd mammoth we now hunt for old cars, 1940's juke boxes and of course Japanese swords. Personally I have a preference for the "hunting down" aspect. For me, there's nothing like turning up a sword in the least expected places. And knowing that you've rescued a piece of history from a damp garage or a dusty cabinet in an antique shop in some obscure country town.

 

Regards

 

John B

[Jean]

I could not resist asking the question :

 

"If Desmond Morris thinks it's predominantly men that collect. His theory is that collecting is a modern day replacement for hunting".

 

I am still wondering about my wife collecting shoes and handbags (I wish I had as many swords) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Ron S]

LOL@Jean, so true!

Personally I have always collected something,from my childhood years to my now mid 40's theres always been a collection of some sort. I have collected cars, motorcyles,music,books and knives.The knives lead me to swords,and once I discoved the Japanese sword I was hooked! I mostly have production stuff (mostly customised) and have recently bought my first nihonto.The book collection is still growing tho!

The great thing about swords is they take up much less room and require much less maintaince that cars and bikes!

[Rich S]

We collect because it is in our genes. There are two sub-species of

homo sapiens on Terra; collectors and non-collectors. They don't

understand each other and don't even speak the same language.

Try spending an evening with someone who doesn't collect anything -

total horror, silence or mindless chit-chat about nothing. They don't

understand why (or what) we collect and we don't understand why

they don't. I'm surprised the two sub-species are close enough

to even mate. When that does happen, it usually doesn't last.

 

Rich S

[Pete Klein]

Bravo Rich!!!

[Alan62]

I agree with Rich

I personaly do it because I like holding The emplements that lead the course of history in the many directions it has been.

I also collect things other than swords that I feel have been instremental in my heritage, that to me are also works of art like guitars and also many other things.

 

Funny Story

I bought a Spanish American War Fore and Aft Hat with its insignia and in the original Carrying case and my girlfriend said "What are you going to do with that?" and I replied

"I am going to look at it"

 

Those of us that are, as Rich said collectors ,will understand how heartfelt and profound such a simple reply was

 

Edited to say My girlfriend and I have been on again off again for 4 years so much more to say I agree with Rich

[Guido]

James A. Michener said

 

"The typical collector is a male, usually unbalanced in some direction, who, if he were normal, would not need to collect odd bits and pieces. I believe that any collector suffers from some kind of mental or psychological aberration, and that his collecting is a therapy which may run into a great deal of expense but which protects his sanity and allows him to operate in other fields fairly normally."

[Bungo]

my excuse to the boss.............

 

" or you rather prefer me chasing after some wild women ? ".

 

Works every time

 

milt the ronin

[sencho]

my excuse to the boss.............

 

" or you rather prefer me chasing after some wild women ? ".

 

She'd probably be glad to get you out of the house, Milt...

 

....just like I get on a Friday evening... "can't you bugger off down the pub with your mates, so I can get some peace and not have some idiot asking me for mei translations every five minutes!!"

 

Cheers!

[Jean]

Sorry,

 

Once again I cannot resist.

 

Here's good old Jean "Freud" lecture.

 

Collecting things is not as innocent as it may appear. It reflects several hidden personnal features of the Collector.

 

1- We are generally collecting old things. Nostalgy of good old days? insatisfaction of our daily life? Dreams? Life by proxy? Phantasm?

 

2 - Collections : What kind of collectors are we? Stamp collectors? car & bike collector? Arms collector?

I have been seriously collecting since I was 18 (It needs cash to make a serious collection), I started with minerals and fossiles and get interested in mineralogy, kind of fascination for Nature "law and order", crystallograpphy mistery.

I shifted in my 20's to collecting 19th century American handguns. I have always loved the Frontier myth, I am a western movies lover.

Question : why collect "American" handguns rather than French hanguns? Because of French legislation on firearms, they were easier to collect and bear far more history compare to its French homologues (Civilian war, Pony Express), death power (no one shall confess it) and some kind of freedom?

I shifted in my late forties to Nihonto, why? because of my training in Karate surely but why did not I practice Kendo, Iaïdo, Battodo, more related to Nihonto? I love the beauty of Nihonto, its symetry, hataraki and all its related stories, above all, it gives me the opportunity of learning a lot things and keeps my mind working (and I assume that most of us are in the same mood).

 

I wonder, in this, where is good old Dr Freud sexual side to Nihonto collection ? :o

 

Perhaps somewhere deeply hidden?

[Ron S]

"I wonder, in this, where is good old Dr Freud sexual side to Nihonto collection ?"

*looks at his little wakazashi*

Oh no! I hope I dont have katana envy!

[Jean]

Ron,

 

You make me worried, I only collect katanas :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

To my question ""I wonder, in this, where is good old Dr Freud sexual side to Nihonto collection ?" , to avoid Brian stepping in, trivial answers (such as : "In my p....") are strictly forbidden (Oups, sorry!!)

[Bungo]

You Have katana

He finds but wakazashi

TACHI stands straight up !!

 

 

p.s. I am referring to " resting postion "

 

 

milt the ronin

[Jean]

Of course Milt, "Honny soit qui mal y pense" :lol: